Dixon City Council candidate seeks to serve

After dedicating his life to protecting the country and the constitution from enemies abroad, Dixon City Council candidate Drew Graska said he is hoping to take his service to a more local level.

Graska is one of six candidates vying for two open City Council seats in November's election.

A self-described "Air Force brat," Graska saw his share of travel in his early years, from Hamilton Air Force Base in Marin where he was born to Arizona, South Dakota and even three years in Germany before his familly finally settled at Travis Air Force Base in 1980.

He has been a Solano County resident ever since, aside from a stint in Arizona while attending college at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, and settled in Dixon in 2001.

At 23, he followed in his father's military footsteps, although opting for a different branch, and joined the U.S. Marine Corps as a reservist. Graska has been on two separate deployments, one a seven-month stay in Iraq between 2007-08, and a second in the Persian Gulf for six months between 2010-11, he said.

Graska, who has vowed not to take any campaign money from companies, groups or organizations, and isn't seeking their endorsements, said that those who do accept financial contributions "open themselves up to owing favors."

"My allegiance isn't to groups," he emphasized. "My allegiance is solely to the people of Dixon. Whether they're registered voters or not."

Calling finance and budget concerns being an unspoken given, Graska said he was prompted to run for council because he grew tired of not feeling represented by the current council, adding that the city has a number of issues, some dating back to the 1970s, that remain unresolved.

Topping Graska's priority list is revising and updating the general plan, followed closely by the need for the city to "address and fix preexisting issues" -- ranging from street paving and sidewalk repair to core drainage -- "before taking on new projects," he said.

He stressed the importance of not accepting county, state or federal funding, stating that, whatever the source, "That is tax money being taken from somewhere else."

"It's not free money. It comes with rules, stipulations and regulations," he explained, adding that the funding ultimately equates to a loss of local control.

Fourth, Graska pitched a "common sense approach to governing," explaining that "You have to plan before you start a project."

Graska distinguishes himself from a number of council contenders with his final platform point by coming out in "full support" of Measure N.

Graska urged the council to move away from the "group think" and he is not afraid of asking questions.

"The last thing I am is a 'rubber stamper,' " he said, adding that he will "scrutinize" each issue.